I saw Philoneisa and Elasmias snails in the native forests on the slopes of Mount Kaʻala. Known as pupu kuahiwi — literally “mountain shell” — in Hawaiian, the snails live in the native forests and are arboreal. Philonesia snails are about a...

For quite some time now I have been exploring remote ridges and gullies in the Waiʻanae Mountains to look for rare native plants and animals. Much of the Waiʻanae Mountains lie in the rain shadow of the Koʻolau Mountains and makes the Waiʻanae Mountains significantly...

We hiked sections of the proposed Poamoho Fence which will protect the leeward headwaters of the Poamoho watershed in the northern Koʻolau Mountains of Oʻahu. As a counter-measure against changing trade wind and climate patterns, the State of Hawaiʻi is increasing the...

We hiked to the very back of Olowalu Valley in the West Maui mountains to look for native damselflies and tree snails. At 5,788 feet elevation, the summit of the West Maui mountains — Puʻu Kukui — receives incredibly high rainfall — about 32 feet per...

On the second day of the HTMC camp out in the Mokuleʻia Forest Reserve, I looked for rare native plants and animals in Pahole Natural Area Reserve. Our camp site was located at about 2,200 feet elevation. During the night the temperature dropped to 60 degrees and...

We hiked up Papali Ridge to drop down into the upper reaches of Kaluanui Stream above Hauʻula and the Koʻolauloa Coast of windward Oʻahu. John Braum, Clayton Kong, Baron Yamamoto, Cory Yap and I went to explore the hanging valley above Kaliuwaʻa (Sacred Falls) which...